Big FM tunes in 
Smriti Sharma

After the heavy rains, it’s now raining celebrations in the city. Just a day after the much-awaited Valentine’s celebrations, the city got a gift long overdue. Finally, Chandigarh got its long expected FM channel, Adlabs’ 92.7 Big FM. True to its name, the launch was a big affair with people from the industry, local RJs and celebrity RJ Rajeshwari Sachdev descending upon the city for the launch.

Chandigarh is the Adlabs’ 12th station in exactly twelve months from 2006 after setting up similar stations in Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Mumbai, Jammu, Srinagar, Aligarh, Jhansi and Bikaner.

With the tagline saying, Suno Sunao Life Banao, the FM promises to create lot of dhamal with its all-new format of outdoor broadcasting wherein one RJ goes out and interact with listeners while still being connected with the studio RJ. As far as the music is concerned, listeners can choose heir own kind of music than a RJ playing just about anything for them.

“Big FM is going to be the first of its kind to connect with people beyond the urban locations, claims Tarun Katial, chief operating officer. “With our reach, every eighth rural and every third urban Indian will be connected with us.”

This A for Apple, radio as the organisers claim it to be, is aiming to get as many listeners connected to them as possible. And guess who is the brand ambassador of the fm channel, its none other than the latest ‘guru’ of everyone’s hearts, ‘Abhishek Bachhan’. Here’s a low down on the shows hosted by local RJs and a few celebrity RJs that the listeners can hook themselves to.

Starting as early as five in the morning, soothing spiritual will mark the beginning the day with RJ Ishleen followed by Big Chai, a daily dose of news with astrological predictions for the day. Keeping the young city, shows like Big Geri with RJ Pankaj and Nidhi and the night show 9 Baje ki Setting hosted by RJ Meenakshi, are youth oriented shows. And if you think a day is incomplete without a daily bout of laughter then you are absolutely right. To take all your worries away from you, RJ Sukhi along with the latest comedy king, Sunil Pal, are coming with their rib ticklers to make you laugh with their show, ‘Dhamal with Sunil Pal’. And far as the chirpy gang of RJs is concerned, well, “Its so much fun to be there that we can’t just help but stick to the mic and the console”, they all articulate in chorus.

So go ahead , turn on the radio and listen! 

‘I love challenges’
Bharatnatyam dancer, singer, actor and now RJ. Smriti Sharma chats up Rajeshwari Sachdev

Her name, the charming demeanour, dusky looks, wide smile, repertoire of peppy folk songs and Punjabi numbers… Punjabi, we presume. She brushes aside such thoughts. “My grandparents came from the undivided Punjab. That’s all,” says the hulle hullare girl Rajeshwari Sachdev, as we try to trace her Punjabi connection.

Perhaps it’s this desire to retain her Punjabi connection that draws her to the city. “I always look for excuses to visit the city,” she tells. But with each visit she brings along something new, something fresh. And this time around, this glam lady’s come as the star radio jockey for Big FM. She shares notes on this one and more. So how did it all start? “With an onset of a new year everyone has a things-to-do list, but for me it just happened. I was simply told to start RJ-aying from January 1”. And this is how our lady started shuttling between her city, Mumbai, and Delhi to co-host the four-hour breakfast show Big Chai along with city lad Ayushmaan Khurana. “It was literally like being thrown into the sea,” she laughs.

“Ayushmaan was doing the show earlier and it’s from him that I learnt the ropes,” she says. So what does it takes to be a RJ? All one needs is a lot of concentration, awareness of one’s surroundings and voila you are through. “The speed of your brain churning out those thoughts must match your ability to put these thoughts in words or else you’ll be stumped. The idea is not to panic and just carry on,” comes the gyan. Interestingly, while all other RJs receive training, our star RJ got motivation (and competition) from her sister-in-law, an acclaimed RJ in Mumbai!

From playing a pivotal role in Shyam Benegal’s Sardari Begum to cutting three albums to participating in a celebrity dance competition, to playing a rather offbeat character in a daily soap Ji Behenji, what’s next? “I believe whenever good things come your way, grab them and that is precisely what I did. Be it my husband Varun Badola or Nach Baliye 1,” she gushes.

Though a trained Bharatnatyam dancer, Nach Baliye gave her a tough time. “I had put a lot of things on hold. I am an obsessive dancer and I loved dancing with my husband for ten episodes. It was a tremendous learning experience. With variety as the key word, I had to unlearn first and then learn a variety of dances including salsa and cabaret. The best part of the show was that I learnt Varun could dance too!” After the perfect onscreen chemistry, the duo was flooded with offers to perform on stage together.

What about upcoming projects? “I am on a break,” she says. Sounds logical. With so much under her belt, who needs to dabble in something more? “But I love challenges,” she signs off.

Small wonder!
All of seven, Kavita Bandlish has 200 stage shows to her credit and now she’s working with Bobby Deol Smriti Sharma

Getting an opportunity to work with Bobby Deol, director Sangeet Sivan’s untitled production is the biggest thing that has happened to Ananya Bandlish until now. All of seven years, this class 2 student of Ryan School, is a little star already. She has to her credit more than 200 stage shows with Punjabi music stars Sarabjeet Cheema, Malkeet Singh, Jassi, Dolly Guleria, Gursewak Mann, Babbu Maan and Rani Randeep.

Her tryst with fame began when she was crowned Rose Princess at age of three during the ‘Rose Festival’ in 2001. If her dances capture audience attention her acting prowess are no less. Perhaps it’s the lead role that she had essayed in plays like Cinderella, Snow white and Jaadu Ka Dweep that lead her make up her mind to be an actress one day.

She has inherited her glamour streak from her mother Kavita Bandlish who was once a ramp model. Besides dancing, acting and modelling, she happens to be a complete tennis buff and is equally good at painting and drawing, says her mother.

“After winning a popular title in the ‘Rose Festival’ she began participating in similar events”. But for Ananya, not winning was a complete put off but her encouraging parents kept egging her on. “Many a times she would return empty-handed but we kept her going to make her get rid of stage fright”. Winning in extra curricular activities and in studies has become a habit with her now. Also pictured on the cover page of Bal Bhaskar, a children’s magazine, she aims for more. 

Poetry in monochrome 
Kanwal Singh captures the drama and mystery of black and white photography

Texture, gradation, interplay of light… and you thought photography was all point and shoot! For these professional from various fields, the drama of black and white photography is timeless. Monochrome is their passion, a mystery that simply deepens, drawing them into its fold.

Local industrialist Savinder Singh found the camera at Age 7 when black and white was the only photography around. His first camera was a twin reflex gifted to him by his father. Forty years later, he is still shooting monochrome and his favourites remain landscapes, sunsets, trees and the rain.

A trained mechanical engineer by profession, he is all for manual cameras. “These are better for monochrome as they allow the focus and aperture to be adjusted according to light. The automatic camera is within me,” he says. His prized possession is a handmade, customised field camera that his wife gifted him about 15 years ago.

This beauty, an ancient replica, uses a 120mm film, and boasts of manual adjustments and eight resolutions. “The resolution is amazing. Each grain or blade of grass is captured, no matter how far the image. Sadly, I have to wind up my darkroom, as I can’t find the chemicals and ink. Earlier I could get some of it from Delhi or US,” he says.

During the course of his masters in the US, Savinder attended special classes of the great landscape photographer Ansel Adams. “It is an art to capture the right tones, hues and beauty in its raw form. While in a colour one can capture the scene in its own beauty, in black and white you have to get the right composition. You cannot fudge or mess up. Each combination has to be controlled to capture the creative energy and transmit it down on paper as a positive picture. There seems to be something about a great monochrome landscape that really draws you in in a way that colour cannot. Colour has an immediate and emotional impact, whereas a great mono print is timeless. The more you look at it, you discover more and more detail,” he says. I am glad my son Fateh is following in my footsteps and is showing a lot of interest in my hobby, he adds.

“A decent tripod is a must. The best time of the day to shoot is either just after dawn or before dusk to get low angled glancing light. Contrast in photographic composition is an effective means of directing the viewer’s attention to the centre of interest,” he says with excitement.

Dr Sandeep Chatwal of Omni Hospital clicks mostly macro photographs and portraits. He lets out his secret, “The technique is simple. Many modern digital cameras have a series of mono modes in their advanced menu settings. Use these if you want to be more creative. There’s no reason why black and white cannot be used with any subject - it’s used often for portraiture and landscapes and can also be very effective in abstract shoots for a graphical view of the subject. In all cases, one of the biggest challenges is visualising the subject as grayscale as the conversion of tones from colour to black and white is not always obvious.”

Sandeep’s best buddy and physician, Dr Vishwaneet, too swears by black and white. “It really brings out the soul of photography. Anybody can point and shoot with an automatic camera but it takes real hard work and an eye for detail to bring out the best in a black and white photo,” he says.

“I started photography when I was in Class VI but it was only when I was in Russia that I learnt to develop my own photos. Back home, having a darkroom proved pretty expensive and I relied on local labs. My favourite camera, a Zenit TTL, broke recently and I am now using a digit, Nikon Coolpix 8700. I experiment with landscapes, textures, macros and portraits. Only those with a sense of aesthetics can appreciate the pictures.”

From the spaces within
Anuradha Shukla

The spaces, the pauses, the movements in between the scenes, all contorting to make even the silences speak is what Kirti Jain was here to train students of the Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University. This former director of the National School of Drama, teaching at NSD and director of famous plays like Subaranalata feels her “job is to train the imagination of an artist, for imagination is central to creativity.”

She is with her student artists all through the process of moulding their body and mind to become one with the sensibilities of the character and for them to take over the stage with the soul of the character living out its essence in true sense. “Inborn talent and desire can be nurtured to create what I call theatre experience,” says Kirti Jain. “Theatre captures the experiences of life and it is these special experiences enrich a personality. Artists share their imagination with the audiences to create the experience we call theatre,” says Kirti. Effervescent energy of students never fails to put a stamp on her belief. “The artist has to extend itself to meet the feel of the character,” says Kirti Jain has jot only been training students of NSD to do that but has also been directing plays.

Teaching the students on scene work for the play by Vijay Tendulkar, Khamosh Adalat Jari Hai, to train their body, voice, to express the character Kirti says the process is long one to integrate the artist to the character but here for one week the students have been very responsive, says Kirti. It’s not just the theatre workshop she is conducting but is also working on production for youngsters based on theme of globalisation and SEZs. “The young need to be sensitised on crucial issues,” says Kirti.

“Theatre is seeing a lot of work on socio - political themes and so much of politicisation to portray contemporary reality is one phase which is tiding up at the moment. Theatre cannot be in a vacuum but has to be purposeful and meaningful,” says Kirti.

“What I would like to see happening most is more and more regular theatre activity,” says the woman who ran weekend theatre thorugh her Natrang Pratishthan to give audiences somethi ng worthwhile to come to every weekend for two years. “Experimentation in theatre towards popular, commercial theatre is also welcome so that it creates more audience for serious theatre as all kinds of activities make a movement,” says Kirti. 

Meaning in melody
S D Sharma

“Ghazal, being endowed with a rich sublime melody and the pure charm of romantic poetry, has kept music aficionados all over the world spell bound across the centuries,” claims noted ghazal and playback singer, Vinod Sehgal. Basking in the glory of two Platinum disc awards for his hit renditions in serial Mirza Ghalib and film Machis, the maestro has resolved to promote ghazal singing in the region.

For classic literary creations like, “Hain aur bhi duniyan mein sukhanver bahut acche, Kehte hain ke Ghalib ka hai andaaz-e-bayan aur..” or “Koi din gar jindgani aur hai” by Mirza Ghalib, the credit for taking these ghazals to the masses goes to none other than Vinod Sehgal. A veteran playback singer for twenty Hindi, 18 Punjabi, Haryanvi and Bhojpuri films and 13 TV serials, Vinod Sehgal attributes his achievements to the invincible music legend Jagjit Singh, his mentor and guide who had groomed him and sharpened his musical skills and career as well. In all humility he reveres the Ghalib for introducing him in live concerts in USA and UK.

The Ambala born artist Vinod, worked with music director Hans Raj Bahl and others since 1975 but it was the great ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh who discovered musical potential in Vinod Sehgal and introduced him in his album. Convinced of his calibre as a ghazal singer, Jagjit Singh gave him an opportunity to sing in films under his music direction besides making a special album titled Jagjit Singh presents Vinod Sehgal in 1985.

Films like Ravan, Kalka, Bezuban, Mujhe   Vachan do, Insaaf ka khoon, Rahi, Sone ki zanjeer, Chor Police, Machis, Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Train to Pakistan, Bhagmati, Long da Lishkara, Mahaul Theek hai, Yarana naal baharan, Shaheed Udham Singh, Dildara and many others followed.

He won immense popularity for his ghazals in TV serials Mirza Ghalib and Kehkashan under the music direction of Jagjit Singh. The feat entitled him to be featured by HMV in their rare album Ghazal ka Safar, which presented the ghazals of all time great ghazal exponents of India and Pakistan starting with KL Sehgal to Vinod Sehgal.

After the Rafi Memorial and Pancham (RD Burman) awards, the Haryana government also honoured him with the Haryana Gaurav Sanmaan. Vinod says he resolved to promote ghazal genre of music in the region by grooming a few young potential singers and introducing them in live concerts, the way his mentor Jagjit Singh did for him.

For his passion for Ghazal he has a couplet for Mohabbat ke liye kuchh khaas dil makhsoos hote hain / Ye vo nagma hai jo har saaz pe gaya nahin jaata.

Chikankari delights
Anuradha Shukla

If you just can’t wait for the winters to be over to get into your favourite chikan outfits, the on going exhibition at the Aroma Classic is the place to be. Spotless whites in cotton and georgettes decorated with the fine Chikan embroidery work reminding of the sunny summers to wear them are a treat for the eyes.

The clothes at the exhibition offer a range of highly wearable Chikan apparel in Kurits, suits, stitched and unstitched and also in combination of a kurti with only the stole to go with it. Artisans from Hussainabad in Lucknow bring Chikan fineries for all age groups claims Mohammed Masud. Number of clothes available here is exclusive claims Masud.

If you think that the regular suits, kurtas and saris are all you are going to get think again for the artisans have tried something new to give you a new option to wear Chikan in style. Embroidered pajami suits are refreshing to see. For those who are not all fond of thin cottons or georgettes the artisans have experimented with ethnic kota cloth and give you the unique option of getting it dyed in colour you want and all for Rs 1850 to start with. The colour of the thread remains the same, claims Masud. Incorporating the trend to wear a narrow stole, the exhibition has a range of unstitched stole with a shirt piece for Rs 850.

Eye-catching exhibits here include wide range of Kurtis, a clear focus on the young city crowd as the range has kurtis in male and female cuts to fit all. The embroidery in shadow work, Murri work, Zardozi, Sippi work in coloured thread and silk threads to add that rich sheen is for grabs beginning from Rs 250.The richer the embroidery price go up accordingly. For a Jaal work in shadow and Murri work the price is Rs 600 plus. Gents short kurtas are also available for as much as Rs 650, while a simpler kurta starts at Rs 250.

Not to forget the saris the exhibition has simple coloured thread work sari on georgettes is for Rs 1850 while the silk thread sari is available at Rs 2500. For a good old party suit the combination of Zardozi, Sippi and chikankari with a touch of shimmer is all you can ask for.

(The exhibition is on at Aroma for one week beginning February 14)

SIDE LANES
Levels of stress
Joyshri Lobo

Newman is blonde, six, with huge blue eyes. His parents visit India often on teaching assignments. Kay, the mother, is a beauty with red hair and green eyes. Patrick, the father, is over six feet two, blonde, is a black belt in karate, with a heart like a marshmallow. He cannot bear his son’s tears and is often stressed out by the harsh reality around him. He reacts with a bad tum, but smiles through it.

Kay and Patrick bought first class tickets for a Pink Floyd concert. It would have cost them ten times the amount in the UK. They asked if I would babysit Newman. As “little blue eyes” looks like an angel, I agreed to do so without remuneration because Indian hospitality does not allow me the luxury of such materialism.

With his parents away, Newman demanded egg paranthas – a fried roti, with an onion and tomato omlette stuck on one side – to be followed by our “sau meel waali chai”  favoured by  truck drivers. Newman’s gastronomic choices are:  paranthas, papads, pakoras, chicken tikkas (which he sandwiches between bread slices) and sweet lassi. He feels that Brit food “tastes awful.”

Three paranthas and an equal number of chais later, I was exhausted and suggested that Newman slept. He put a hand to his forehead – Rodin style - and said he was “stressed” and needed a story to help him sleep. Newman finally slept but I was stressed by the word “stress” and its connotations in the mind of a six-year-old. None of our children seemed stressed. Could it be that they were used to it and we had not noticed? Bad!

Kay, Patrick and I discussed stress, which seemed to haunt them in India. The plumber did not come at the given time. The electrician went on leave and left a few naked wires in the kitchen. Newman was pushed in school and had to have a Tetanus shot. The dhobi burnt a hole in Kay’s beaded blouse. Patrick’s cream shirt had been washed with a bleeding madras one. The balcony light had a huge beehive dangling from it. I told them how stressful it had been when an inept doctor refused to x-ray my broken ankle as I did not “seem in enough pain.”  I continued my jobs with a crepe bandage and ice packs. They empathised and said they knew exactly how I felt.

I offered them a de-stressing holiday at our Goa flat. We went by Sharma’s deluxe sleeper, but not before I had threatened the conductor for re-selling our berths to four others just an hour before departure. Newman wanted to know why I was shouting. The other passengers asked us to catch the next bus so that they could get a shift on. The high decibels won and we reached Goa. Our return – by the same service – led to another altercation, as our lower berths had been converted to top ones. By the time the issue was settled, Patrick’s stomach was churning, Kay and Newman held their heads in despair.

It dawned on me that Social Welfare in the UK means living stress-free lives. But why are we Indians doing so well worldwide? We can work with stress, anywhere, any time. We are trained to do so the moment we land in Bharat Mata. Jai Hind!

Cleopatra busted

She’s believed to be one of the most beautiful seductresses to have ever walked the earth, but the discovery of a 2,000-year-old coin has busted the myth. Archaeologists discovered the old coin hidden in a bank vault, and found that the last Egyptian queen had a shallow forehead, pointed chin, thin lips and a witch-like nose. As for Cleopatra’s Roman lover Mark Anthony, well it seems that he too doesn’t fare too well, what with him being portrayed as a man with peculiar bulging eyes, a hook nose and a rather thick neck.

Lindsay Allason-Jones, Newcastle University’s Shefton Museum’s director of archaeological museums, called the discovery “incredible”, and said that it quite effectively busted the myth that the couple were not quite the sex symbols they are portrayed to be, especially in Hollywood movies.

“It’s quiet incredible. For years we have grown up with this image of Antony and Cleopatra as sex symbols. But far from being that of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton the truth is something entirely different. They are not attractive and if you look closely it appears Cleopatra may have forgotten to put her teeth in,” she said.

The 32 BC artifact, which was been kept hidden for the last 85 years, will now go on show to the public for the first time at the museum. The silver denarius was part of a collection owned by the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Allason-Jones also said that the discovery should not have been surprising, for Roman writers, while talking about the Egyptian queen’s intelligent and charismatic, had never labelled her a great beauty. That image however, had been perpetuated by Hollywood films.

“The image of Cleopatra as a beautiful seductress is a more recent phenomenon created by Hollywood. This coin completely dispels that myth. She may have seduced Julius Caesar and his rival Mark Antony but she was certainly no beauty,” she added.

“The popular image we have of Cleopatra is that of a beautiful queen who was adored by Roman politicians and generals. Indeed, the relationship between Mark Antony and Cleopatra has long been romanticised by writers, artists and film-makers... but the research carried out following the discovery of this coin would seem to disagree with this portrayal,” Clare Pickersgill, the university’s assistant director of archaeological museums, said. — ANI

‘Couldn’t have asked god for more’
Vidhu Vinod Chopra on Eklavya, life and future plans

His film Parinda was one of the most critically acclaimed films in the 90s with its unusual Hollywood-style lighting, slick editing and taut screenplay. It gave the young Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who had earlier directed thrillers like Sazaye Maut, Satyakatha and Khamosh, his first major commercial success. Even 1942-A Love Story and Kareeb could not replicate the Parinda magic.

Vidhu is now back with Eklavya, seven years after Mission Kashmir. Both produced and directed by him, the film boasts of an unusual star caste, heightening its surprise element. Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, Boman Irani, Vidya Balan, Raima Sen, Jackie Shroff and Sharmila Tagore share screen space. In a freewheeling interview to Lifestyle, Vidhu Vinod Chopra talks about his film and future career moves.

What is Eklavya all about?

Eklavya is a movie set in contemporary India. The lead character of is being played by Big B, who is the royal guard. This character is renowned for his marksmanship and loyalty. That is what the movie is all about.

What is the highlight of the movie besides the script?

I have spared no expenses in making the film and have shot in Rajasthan’s mind-blowing locations. The basic plot, performances and ensemble cast are a major highlight of this film.

Vidhu do you get creative satisfaction if the movie makes money and your friends like it?

People say that I make my film as I want, but the fact is that I take suggestions from my team. I ensure every movie is first seen by the entire team as their viewpoint and suggestions are very important to me.

Describe your journey as a filmmaker from Sazaye Maut to Eklavya?

I think I could not have asked God for more. I have been blessed with many hits. It has never happened in the history of Bollywood. I am particular glad that I am the only filmmaker from Kashmir who has been able to make a dent in Bollywood. I have survived because of my belief in God and having been good to people around me.

What are your forthcoming projects?

Four films are in the pipeline. Two films will be directed by Raj Kumar Hirani and one by another debutant, Ram Madhvani. I am directing a psychological thriller, 64 Squares. It will be a perfect spine-chilling thriller. — D.P.

NEW RELEASES
Will it, won’t it?

After a hiatus of seven years, the versatile Vidhu Vinod Chopra, known for his slick, sensible films is presenting Eklavya. Naturally, there are high expectations from the 120-minute film, which deals with the fact that once cannot follow your dharma blindfolded.

Eklavya being is touted as a contemporary dramatic action thriller in trade circles. Those who have seen the rushes predict it will be a hit. Set in contemporary India, Eklavya brings out the heroics of Amitabh Bachchan, who plays the royal guard of a former royal family. Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff, Sharmila Tagore, Raima Sen and Jimmy Shergill play important characters in this film.

The buzz is that the audience will be dazzled by an impressive show of cinematic technique. The film has one song composed by Shantanu Moitra of Parineeta fame. This is Chopra’s largest and most ambitious project. Catch it tomorrow onwards at Piccadily, Chandigarh, Fun Republic, Manimajra and K.C. Panchkula. — D.P.

FILM & FASHION
Madonna named most stylish star

Material Girl Madonna has been named the most stylish star by British magazine Elle. The Hung Up star was honoured with the title of top Style Icon by the publication for her outstanding contribution to fashion since the 1980s, and was praised by the Elle Style Awards panel for her ever-evolving image. Naomi Campbell was awarded the Best Model accolade, while Ugly Betty star Ashley Jensen accepted the award for Best TV show. Thandie Newton was named Best Actress for her role in The Pursuit Of Happyness. Volver picked up the prize for Best Film at the ceremony in Camden, London. — ANI

Dicaprio in film on Enron

YOUTH SPEAK
Words from the heart

Literature is treated more as a subject than the art form it really is. We all understand literature. Apparently. Its nothing more but words stringed together to make sense. We “literates” can read and write and hence we take it for granted that literature as far as we are concerned is well within our grasps. But the common man gives not much importance to literature today. For me literature is life. Words, which make one feel every sensation as real and as sharp as a pin prick. We teach literature in our schools and colleges not as what it really is but as part of a course. Only focus is on absurd syllabi with the same monotonous boring tasks year after year after year. There is a big difference between reading literature and appreciating literature as we are not taught to focus on the latter. — Ramit Mehra

City’s pride
Khayali, Jonita host a comedy show on TV

Jonita Doda, model-turned actress from the city, and comedian Khayali Saharan, also from Chandigarh, have been roped in to anchor Comedy Champions on Sahara One Television. Talking about the show, Saharan and Doda said, “We want to reach out to the viewers and put a smile on their face. They are tired of the saas-bahu sagas.”

For Khayali and Jonita, the high expectations make Comedy Champions all the more exciting. “We are looking forward to recreating magic with a different style. The wit, energy, excitement and enthusiasm will rub off onto all of us and we hope to create some magical moments on television with 13 popular comedians,” promises the duo. (Tune in Monday to Friday, 10.30 p.m).

Indian Cowboy to hit US theatres

Another desi film Indian Cowboy is to hit theatres in the US later this month, close on the heels of two such successful earlier releases - American Desi and American Chai.

The film, a romantic comedy with a South Asian twist that explores the idea of true love, is directed by young Indian American filmmaker Nikhil Kamkolkar. A tongue-in-cheek exploration of “true love”, Indian Cowboy is a story about Nick, a young writer who wants to experience love at its most glorious, and with a decidedly happy ending. When he falls in love with Sapna, who believes that all stories of true love end in tragedy a la Romeo and Juliet or Laila and Majnu, his quest for the perfect ending to his own love story inevitably begins! Indian Cowboy features rising stars of the South Asian Diaspora, including Sheetal Sheth and Deep Katdare. — TNS